


The Way the Bird Sings

by Undead_Immortals



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd is Robin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2020-10-21 04:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20687837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Undead_Immortals/pseuds/Undead_Immortals
Summary: Jason feels under-appreciated by Batman and when a particularly orange masked man shows up, he happily takes the opportunity.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tags will be edited with every chapter. Hope you like the story!

"You can't just bench me, Bruce! I did what you trained me to do!" The young Robin protested with anger in his voice. The patrol of tonight didn't go too well. Jason, in his eagerness to take the bad guy out, shattered the collarbone of the thug, causing him to go into shock. He won't be able to talk for weeks, meaning they'll have to find a different lead. Bruce was less than amused about it all. And it showed clearly.

"You prevented us from getting the information we needed from him!" The Bat yelled with a voice only the Dark Knight could muster. Jason flinched. He was... Afraid but he wouldn't back down. He never did. His greatest strength and weakness was his stubborn personality.

"He was aiming a gun at you, what was I supposed to do?! Let him-"  
"Enough!" Bruce interrupted and gave a long and troubled sigh. "That's enough, Jason. I know you're eager and I know you want what's best but this shows you're not ready yet. Dick would have known there was another option that what you did. You have much to learn and until then, you're not going on patrol anymore. That's final." he said and took his cowl off slowly, placing it down near the Bat-computer as he walked past Jason.

The young boy shook his head in anger. Dick... Always being compared to Dick. He didn't say anything as he left the cave and up to his room. He hated Bruce... Hated him for comparing himself. For not trusting him. For belittling him. He was able to fight! Why couldn't Bruce see that?! Maybe he had to show him. Show him how good he really was.

But how?

Then it hit him... He could just go out on his own! Go and take care of a bad guy. Either Bruce will be even angrier or he would be proud. He would happily take those odds if it meant a small chance of being seen as someone other than Dick's replacement. So the boy got in his gear and left. Not wanting to stick around for Bruce to find him sneaking out.

Gotham seems so much... Bigger now. When he's alone, It seems so much more dangerous. It was exciting! Thrilled... Almost an addictive kind of sensation of true danger. No one to watch his back.

“Alright, Robin... Focus. Keep it together and focus." he said to himself as he shot his grappling hook and swung from building to building. Even though patrol had already finished, the city never slept. So Jason only had to wait patiently and watch the streets. Eventually, something would happen.

Eventually…

It took forever. The young Robin, being the impatient brat he sometimes was, kicked his legs over the edge of one of the tall buildings that decorated Gotham’s skyline. This sucks... How can he prove his worth if there is no opportunity to even try?! After many sighs, groans and annoyed glances around him, the boy stood up again. Giving up, today at least. Seems no crime was in the crime capital of America. How fitting…

"Leaving so soon, Robin? And I just got here." The voice sounded low. Calm but threatening in a way only two people Jason knew could do. Batman, who it clearly wasn't.

And Deathstroke.

Jason stiffened at the voice, slowly turning around to confirm his suspicions. Slade Wilson stood there, arms crossed. It wasn't hard to guess his amusement, even with his mask covering his entire face in black and orange. Slade had a certain aura around him. Dominant. Violent. Calm. Deathstroke was definitely one of the most dangerous men Jason had the displeasure of running across. He wanted to take on a bad guy but... Slade was way out of his league. Hell, even Bruce still had trouble every single time they fought.

His breath quickened and he had to force himself to keep looking at Deathstroke. If he looked away, Slade would catch him off guard with an attack. At least he thinks. The fact he was still breathing showed that Slade wasn't interesting in killing him. Yet. Which could either be a good thing or a very, very badly thing.

"Now now... You used to have such a mouth on you. Too scared now that the bat isn't around?" Slade taunted and Jason felt his blood boil slightly. He hated being made fun off. Hated being seen as less... As scared.

"Not scared of you, asshole. And I'm taking you down." He said and went for the attack before Slade could. The boy had skills. He was fast, nimble, and determined but he was still just a boy with anger issues.

His hits were easily blocked by the calm assassin who gripped his arms and forced him to the ground.

"That's no way to treat your elders, boy," Slade said with that low rumble to his voice that would have anyone scared for their lives. Not Jason though. He was done being pushed around. By Bruce. By Dick. Now by the villains he needed to take down.

"Get off of me and I'll show you how I treat a villain like you," Jason stated with a growl, trying but not really managing to get the same threat lacing his voice like Slade did.

"Where is Batman, kid? Doubt he'll leave his boy unsupervised for long." Slade said as his grip on Jason tightened. Jason just glared at him.

"I'm on my own today, Slade," he stated. That caught Slade's attention. The Bat never left his little birdies alone. So that means…  
"You snuck out? Kid. You must have a death-wish." Slade stated, and Jason could feel the grip on him slightly loosen. Good enough for him to get his slender arms out of the grip and with a single smooth movement, he stood up. His eyes narrowed and his lips in a snarl.

"Not a death-wish, Slade. I got something to prove," he stated and attacked again. No longer did he fight like a Robin. No... He fought like the street dog he was. Playing it dirty and mean. Slade took quick to notice it this change of style. Something to prove… He didn't need to be a genius to figure out what that meant. He blocked most attacks but he let some hit. Let the boy work off some steam. Let him get tired a little. At least enough to calm him down.

Eventually, he did just that. Jason was getting tired, his punches and kicks weakening drastically after another few minutes till he finally stepped back and panted.

"Calm?" Slade asked simply.  
"Fuck off..." Jason panted in response.  
"Good enough. Sit down." Slade said, though it sounded calm, it was a clear order. Jason hated being told what to do. Especially when supervillains were involved. But he had to. He could get killed if he didn't. So he sat down at the edge of the roof.  
"If you plan on toying with me, don't. Just get it over with and kill me." Jason said and looked at his dangling feet.

"Kid, I'm not here to kill you. We both know I could have you bleeding on the ground the second I saw you." Slade sat down next to Jason, which surprised him, to say the least. "I'm going to take a guess and say you feel... Underappreciated by the big bat," he said.

Jason scoffed and let out a humorless laugh at Slade.  
"God... Are you going to be my therapist now? Didn't know I had sunk that low." he said with spite lacing his voice. A bit of lingering sadness as well… After a few moments of silence, Jason sighed and his though facade drops down. "I'm not Grayson." He said softly.

"I am well aware."  
"No, Not like that! I mean... I'm not as good as him. Or as smart as him. Or as wanted as him..." The young Robin revealed and he just didn't want to hide it anymore. How pathetic was he?... Venting his troubles to a killer. The worst part is... Slade seems to be a better listener than Bruce ever was.

"So you went out alone to prove you're just as good as the original, no doubt after hearing yourself being compared to Grayson again. That about summarises it?" Slade asked and Jason hated how... How fatherly it sounded.  
"Yeah... As you can see, I screwed up. Like always." He mumbled softly.  
"That you did. Can't say I blame you though. Sounds like the Bat isn't exactly the type of mentor you need." Slade stated calmly. Always that... That chilling calm. It would be something nice if it didn't come from the world deadliest assassin.  
"Oh? Do you think that you can do better, Wilson? I know you've been going after Nightwing. Everyone wants the original..." Jason shook his head with disgusted anger. Disgusted at himself for being angry but also at the world for giving him the reason to be angry. And a bit at Deathstroke for playing therapist.

"True. I did go after Grayson a lot. He's flexible, strong, professional. All things you can't match with him." Slade shrugged a little. As if he didn't just insult Jason.  
"Gee. Thanks, old man. Makes me feel better already..." The young boy rolled his eyes. Slade gave a faint chuckle and finally turned to look at the boy.

"You're headstrong. A survivor. You'll do whatever needs to be done to achieve what you need. Qualities no one else can match. Not even Batman or Grayson is willing to go through the lengths you are." he said.

Jason looked up at Slade and gave a smile. Soft, barely there but still. It was a smile.  
"Thanks, old man... Guess I needed a pep-talk. Bats isn't exactly the most considerate." he said softly.

"I meant what I said. Batman isn't right for you, kid. You're too much of a street rat to work along with such a posh and weak fighter." Slade stood up and looked up at the dark night sky, that was slowly getting lighter. Dawn would break soon. He had to leave. "See you around, kid." He said as he prepared to leave the roof. But right before he jumped off, Jason grabbed Slade's arm, though didn't say anything. Slade didn't pull back and just looked at the young boy.

"Take me with you," Jason said after a while. "Please. Take me with you."  
Slade gave a smirk under the mask and nodded.  
"Sure, kid. If you think you can handle it. I'm not going soft on you. I'm not Batman. And I'm no hero."

"I know....playing the hero is overrated anyway," Jason stated with a sly smirk forming on his lips.

\-----

Slade was ruthless as a mentor. The training was hard and there was no room for error. But it's what Jason needed. He needed that iron fist to become strong. To become better than he used to be. Better than Dick Grayson.  
"Again." Slade's voice sounded through the room. His staff in hand as Jason laid on the ground in pain.

Slowly, the boy got back up, holding a staff of his own as he went to attack Slade again. Ruthlessly and without mercy. Like Slade taught him. No holding back. Not ever anymore.

\-----

"Bruce... You have to accept it... He's gone. You can't spend another 7 months trying to find him. Gotham needs your attention. Your full attention." Dick said softly as he rested a hand on Bruce's shoulder, who immediately pushed the hand away again.  
He knew Dick was right. But Jason... He was just a boy and he pushed him away. He sighed softly and gave a faint nod.

"You're right... Thank you for your help, Dick. I know you're busy enough in Haven..." he said and put his cowl on. How Jason could just disappear without a trace... The tracker in his suit destroyed. Everyone feared the worst.

"Let's go, Nightwing," Bruce spoke before he headed out the cave in the Batmobile together with Dick. No matter what happened to Jason, Gotham still needed its knight.

\-----

Patrol went easy. The regular thugs and crooks. Nothing big, luckily. It was at the end of the night, Batman and Nightwing getting ready to end their patrolling for the night. But something catches their sight. The partly orange mask of someone dangerous on a roof not far from their own. Deathstroke. It was never a good thing when he was close. So they both rushed to the mercenary, who to their surprise, didn't move an inch.

"Slade. Why are you here?" Nightwing asked with anger.  
"I'm just here to oversee my apprentice's first real target," Slade said and from out his shadows, a certain young boy came in sight.  
"Jason..." Bruce said in shock.

Slade laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, Jason himself smirking at his former mentor.  
"Since you fired me, I found someone else to train me. Don't take it personally." The former Robin stated.

"Jason... I never fired you. I benched you because-" Bruce was interrupted by Jason.  
"Because I wasn't as good as the golden boy over there... Let me tell you something, Batman. I'm better than him. Better than you." Jason took a pistol from the holster on his side.

"That's why I chose my first target to be you, Bruce."


	2. Chapter 2

The world seemed to have stopped rotating. Sounds were dull and only in the back of Batman’s mind, the stars high up in the night sky seemed to have lost their light, nothing mattered anymore. Nothing except for the gun in the young Robin’s hand. The weapon was aimed right at the exposed part of his cowl, his white-lensed eyes showing barely any emotion but the fear he felt was real. This was his boy. And he was about to shoot.

He couldn’t move his limbs. They felt like stone attached to his body as his mind was still slowly trying to figure out how this situation came to be. He was too late to register the pull of Jason’s trigger finger. A loud bang sounded from the firearm and Bruce flinched ever so slightly at the sound. He felt like that boy back in Crime Alley again, waiting for the bullet to pierce his flesh and reunite him with his lost parents. But just like then the bullet never came.

When he looked at the smoking barrel of the gun he saw it was aimed upwards. But not by Jason’s own hand. Nightwing was holding up the arm of the young boy, forcing the gun to shoot away from their mentor.

“Jason! What the hell?! You could have killed, B!” Dick yelled, white lensed eyes wide and muscles stiff as he held the other’s arm so tightly that it might bruise. But he couldn’t let the other go after he had just attempted to murder Batman.

Jason blinked a few times. Really taking in what had just happened. His eyes went to Bruce, and then to Dick, before it went to Slade who was still behind him. He dropped the gun and pulled his arm free from Nightwing’s steel grasp. His breathing was quick and uneven as he took a slight step back. He felt his back collide with the wall that was Deathstroke. A squeeze on his shoulder reminded him of the strong presence that was Slade’s hand. It was encouraging, though intimidating.

“Jason, step away from him. Come home,” Bruce spoke, regaining his composure as he held out his hand towards the other. No anger present in his voice or movements, Jason knew how that manifested with the Dark Knight and this wasn’t that. It was something even worse. It was a disappointment. “Robin, now,” The voice was rough and low. An order from Batman always made something click in Jason’s head. He wanted to follow it. He wanted to make his adoptive father proud by doing what was asked of him. Like the good little soldier he was. 

“No…” Jason said. His voice soft and weak, just like it was when he had a nightmare of his mother’s death and was cowering in the corner of his room in the manor. Afraid and weeping, his mind dripping with uncertainties. Bruce knew this side of Jason all too well. He had seen it only a handful of times but whenever Jason allowed himself to be weak for even a moment, an outburst was soon to follow. He needed to play this right or he might lose his son again.

“Please. Alfred misses you and we have been so worried,” Bruce said with a gentler tone to his voice. He knew Jason loved the old butler so he hoped that dropping his name would bring Jason to his senses. A bit manipulative but he just needed his Robin back home, so he was willing to do what was needed. The doubt in Jason’s eyes told him it was working, but the hand on the boy's shoulder kept him where he was. Not physically, Bruce doubted that Slade was holding onto Jason with an agonizingly strong grip. But mentally that hand held onto Jason as if it was a noose around his neck. Stay where he is and nothing will happen, move just a bit too much and it snaps his neck and leaves him choking.

“No,” Jason said again. A lot clearer and most definitely more sure of himself than before. His eyes went over Bruce’s form and he knew exactly what was going on. He’d seen Bruce act like this near a scared child at a crime scene. He was using a familiar and positive thing to get what he wanted. Using Alfred and his need for family to get him back home. He was acting as if Jason was a scared and panicked victim. Fuck that!

“He asked me to take him along, Bats. You had your shot but you blew it. I can help him reach his true potential,” Slade said with a smug smirk audible in his tone despite the fact that his face was hidden behind the orange and black mask. “I don’t hold him down.”

Jason saw the very faint flinch that went through Batman’s body. It shouldn’t have been as satisfying as it was.

Nightwing, who had been rather quiet after having stopped Jason from committing a murder, stepped in front of Bruce and looked straight passed the former Robin to the man that has been a thorn to him since he was a mere kid. “Leave Jason out of this, Slade,” Dick practically growled at the mercenary.

Slade's hand dropped from Jason's shoulder and for a moment the former Robin felt the fear of abandonment creep into his mind. Slade always wanted the original… Maybe this was all just an elaborate plan to get the Dick.

"Leave him out of this? Grayson, he wanted this." Slade said with an amused tone to his voice. "This isn't about you. Not anymore." He said, his shoulders rolling back a little and he leaned closer to his new apprentice.  
"I think we're done here, no? I saw exactly what I wanted to see." He said and Jason gave a faint nod, knowing better than to vocalize his displeasure at leaving without actually having done anything significant. But if Slade said it was time to go, then they would do so.

"You're not going anywhere," Batman said and stepped closer towards the mercenary. Nightwing was also moving to take on his old nemesis again.

But a single movement of Deathstroke had them both stopping in their tracks. A blade put to the throat of Jason who looked just as surprised as the two heroes.

"I think we will. Because if you make a move to go after us, I'll just kill the boy." Wilson threatened with a casual tone to his voice that made it eerily clear he had no trouble killing Jason on the spot if need be.  
"And of course you couldn't live with yourself knowing you didn't just push your bird away, but also got him killed." He continued to rub salt in the wound as he took a step back and Jason was forced to come along by the knife tightly at his throat. 

Batman and Nightwing both didn't move, Jason was in too much of a compromising position to try anything. There was no way of being fast enough to get the knife away from Jason without it cutting the skin and muscles.

Slade knew this too. And he used it to his fullest advantage. The killer used his free hand to take a small smoke grenade from his pocket and activate it.  
"It's been fun seeing both of you again. But we'll be leaving now." He said as the thick smoke filled their senses. Even the special lenses in the heroes' masks had trouble making out shapes within the plumes of grey that surrounded them. 

When it lifted, both the mercenary and their missing bird were gone completely, leaving only behind the gun that Jason had used and a sinking feeling of dread at the realisation of what was to come. They'd be back. And they'd come for blood.

\--------

The safehouse of Deathstroke within Gotham was a nice place. Tidy and clean and as secure as you could get it. On the leather couch, Jason sat with crossed arms. A slight cut on the neck from where the knife had been pressed against it. 

"We couldn't have taken them." He said after a moment of silence. Slade, who sat on a chair whilst he was going through his contracts on his laptop, turned to look at the boy and shook his head. 

"We didn't come here to kill them yet," Slade said simply.  
"I needed to know you wouldn't get cold feet the moment you had a gun aimed at Batman. You didn't, so we can continue on with your training." He said, his gaze going back to the contracts. Gotham always had a lot to offer in comparison to other cities. 

Jason knew it was a test, understood it too, but still! They could have handled them.  
"And what was that you did to get us out anyway? Didn't tell me you planned on threatening me to get us out of there." He muttered, just looking for a reason to be angry at his mentor.

Slade gave an absent-minded nod as he continued reading through the details of a mission that seemed interesting.  
"They don't want you killed. So, of course, they'll let us walk if your life is on the line. Any other dumb questions, or are we done?" He asked.

Jason knew Slade was right, but that didn't make it any less annoying. Still, he knew when to stop being a brat and just accept the way Slade goes about missions and tests. The boy stood up and walked to the other, glancing at his computer to see what the mission was about. If he focused on something else, he'd feel less cheated out of the kill that was promised to him tonight.  
"Anything interesting?" He asked. 

Slade gave a faint nod and moved the screen a little so the kid could read it better. As much as he could be an absolute pain in the ass, Jason was a promising fighter. Slade was certain he could mold him into a fine assassin. More so than with Dick. More willing to do what's needed, not afraid of some bloodshed either.

Jason Read the mission and gave a slight nod.  
"Shouldn't be difficult. I can lure him out, you can snipe him." He suggested and leaned against the chair for a bit.  
"Maybe pick his pocket a bit obvious so he follows me?"

Slade gave a slight nod. The kid read his mind. But after seven months of training and missions, he had expected as much.  
"Should work. We should do it during the daytime. Night has too many bats flying around." He said simply. 

Jason gave a slight nod. He still felt a bit cheated by the fact that this had been a test and he didn't get to actually take the life that was promised. The thing was, he did feel a bit of hesitation. He was scared that if things went on, that the hesitation would grow. He just wanted to get it over with. No going back.

He focused on Slade and the mission again and thought for a moment.  
"So we'll have to shadow him for a few days, find out his pattern, where he is at what times, then strike when he's outside during the day." He said. 

Slade closed the laptop and nodded.  
"Exactly. But I'm doing that alone. Batman knows you're with me now. He'll be on edge. You're not going out unless I'm around. And when I'm gathering information-" 

"I'll only be in the way cause you gotta keep an eye on me. I get it, I get it." Jason scoffed with a roll of his eyes.  
"You're benching me till you need me." He said. 

Slade gave a slight sigh as he stood up.  
"I'm not benching you kid. I was about to say; When I'm gathering information on the target, you need to hack into his work computer remotely from here to see if there's anything useful in his schedule there. I know you can work that without leaving a trail leading here that someone could follow. I'm trusting you with this, kid. Don't fuck it up. We start tomorrow, so get some rest." Slade stated and walked past the former Robin.

Jason stayed silent for a little while. Slade and Bruce were so different in every regard. They could both be assholes, sure. But the fact of the matter is, Slade actually gave him the change to prove himself as more than a sidekick. He felt more like a partner than a lackey here. Then again, Bruce had trained him for years. The shot he took today on Bruce was a moment where he felt numb and didn't think. He just shot. Could he do that again? Could he kill the man who gave him a home?

He'd have to. Slade was training for that purpose. And yeah, he knew the assassin was using him, but it wasn't as if Jason wasn't doing the same. They both knew it too. Slade has a partner who follows his instructions and if he played his cards right, a killer who'll shoot at his command. While Jason has the training and recognition he knew he deserved as well as a chance on becoming better than even Dick Grayson, the golden boy.

Everything would boil down to whether Jason would be able to kill Bruce or not in the end. But that was probably still a while away. If this was just a test by Slade then it meant the training had only just gotten started.

No matter what was to come, Jason would see it through. He chose his side the moment he shot the gun. He just hoped it was the right side for him.


End file.
